Abergavenny - 0

Newport High School Old Boys - 28

FOLLOWING a long, difficult and fragmented season, Aber failed to score a solitary point in their miserable mauling by Newport High School Old Boys at Bailey Park on Saturday.

To add insult to injury, this is the first time in living memory that Aber have failed to register any score on their own turf.

Perhaps the team were missing their injured talisman Stuart Davies who has inspired so many scores this season, but there was a definite lack of spark amongst a side who rarely came close to exciting the home support.

Aber had plenty of talented individuals on show but failed to gel as a team and subsequently the score flattered the Old Boys, whose league position of one place above Aber in the bottom half of Division Three East did not equate to their dominance in this game.

Prop Jamie Knight was called up from the Quins for his first start of the season, otherwise the usual pack took to the field captained by hooker Gareth Williams.

The lineouts were won comfortably with Dan Horler dominating this phase but Aber struggled at the scrum to contain the visiting eight.

John Paxton formed a half back partnership with Ryan Williams, who usually plays at full back, as the search for a regular outside half continues. Ed Davies and Jack Flower played at centre and Nathan Byrne, Andy Watson and Sandy Aitken formed the back three.

The opening quarter offered nothing between the sides and a close game seemed on the cards.

However, the Old Boys opened their account with ease and carved Aber's defence clean open as they spread the ball wide for the winger to pass back inside to the full back who touched down for the try (0-5).

The Old Boys capitalised further with an easily kickable penalty after Aber were caught with hands in the ruck (0-8).

The Old Boys pounced again after a spilled ball from a high kick was gathered by a supporting flanker near Aber's line to make it 0-13.

On the stroke of half time Aber succumbed to a long range penalty as a miserable first 40 minutes closed 0-16 in the visitors' favour.

The second half began in the same vein as the first, with the visitors on top and looking the hungrier of the two sides.

The Newport forwards continued to maintain the upper hand much to the dismay of some of the older and grizzled past members of Aber's 'grunt brigade' in the crowd, who were not used to such a dispiriting sight at Bailey Park.

Another converted try for the Old Boys took the score to 0-23, and in desperation and lacking confidence with the boot, Aber tried to run from deep.

The home supporters' mood was lifted briefly by a 50 yard run from wing Nathan Byrne but a chip ahead was cleared by the visitors.

As if to rub salt into the wounds, Aber's number eight Paul Cornock was shown a yellow card for over vigorous rucking of a player lying so far offside he was almost on the next pitch.

The Old Boys compounded Aber's misery with another simple try from first phase ball to make a grim final score of 0-28.

Aber will need to buck up their ideas and throw some steel and resolve into the mix if they are to shake the losing monkey off their back and salvage some sort of a result when they travel to tackle third-placed Pontypool United this Saturday.